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Need a cheap laptop? Best Buy has Chromebooks starting at just $219 — great for students looking for a last-minute 'back-to-school' deal

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You don't need to spend big to cover the basics

Asus CX34 Chromebook on purple background with price cut text overlay
(Image credit: Asus)

If you're looking for a cost-effective laptop to handle the basics, a Chromebook makes perfect sense. Not only are most models much cheaper than their Windows counterparts, but the lightweight nature of ChromeOS means that it doesn't take much to handle the basics in terms of performance.

And, right now, Best Buy has a number of Chromebooks from leading brands like HP, Asus, and Lenovo on sale. I've been looking through the retailer's site today, and I've picked out a few highlights just below.

Excellent deals include the incredibly affordable HP Chromebook 14 for $219 (was $349), this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for $399 (was $529), or this slightly higher-end Asus CX34 Chromebook for $429 (was $779).

These Chromebooks could be a particularly good choice if you're a college student or parent looking for a last-minute 'back to school' laptop deal. Chromebooks are great for studying because the Google Chrome suite includes many essential browser-based apps, and they remove many of the usual distractions you'd find on a Windows laptop.

Chromebook deals at Best Buy

HP Chromebook 14
HP Chromebook 14: was $349 now $219

Display - 14 inches
Processor - MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM - 4GB
Storage - 64GB

This HP Chromebook 14 is a basic device, but it's cheap, making it a great buy for light use such as general browsing and schoolwork. It also boasts full-day battery life thanks to the lean but perfectly functional Chrome OS from Google, meaning it's best suited for students or those always on the move. If you have around $200 to spend and need a cheap laptop, then it's one of the best options right now.

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HP 14 2-in-1 Chromebook
HP 14 2-in-1 Chromebook : was $549 now $399

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel Core N150
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 64GB

This particular HP Chromebook features a useful 2-in-1 form factor that lets you use it as either a tablet or a traditional laptop. That's pretty handy if you're looking to cut down on your number of devices. You're also getting a decent chipset and 8GB of RAM right out of the box, meaning this 14-inch HP model is also pretty quick for a Chromebook.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook: was $529 now $399

Processor: MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB

You don't always find 8GB of memory on cheaper Chromebook models, but this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook really stands out in Best Buy's latest sale. Other components are good for light use, but that bump to 8GB of RAM will really help with everyday performance and load times. It's still a fairly basic laptop, but with enough extra power to avoid dramatic slowdowns when multitasking.

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Asus CX34 Chromebook
Asus CX34 Chromebook: was $729 now $449

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel Core i5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

This version of the Asus Chromebook Plus offers an impressive amount of power for the price. It includes 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core i5 processor, boosting performance, boot times and load times. Storage of 128GB is a bit miserly for the price, but battery life is solid. That's more than enough to last a full working day. At a little over $400, it's a smart buy for school or college, or just as a home laptop for light use and everyday tasks.

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Alex Whitelock
Alex Whitelock
Retail Editor

Alex is TechRadar's retail editor, specializing in buying advice and general tips on how to save our readers as much cash as possible. He's covered major retail events in some capacity for over seven years now; both in editorial and other ecommerce adjacent roles on TechRadar, T3, GamesRadar, and other Future PLC sites. Alex's expertise touches on most areas, but he has a particular love for phones, laptops, and cameras, being an avid photographer.